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For Immediate Release
April 20, 2006
News Advisory
EPA and NIEHS Dedicate Environmentally Friendly Child Care Center
Contacts: Ann Brown, 919-541-7818, brown.ann@epa.govor Chris Long, 919-541-0249, long.chris@epa.gov
(Research Triangle Park, N.C. - April 20, 2006) - Healthy environments for children will be showcased during a dedication ceremony of the state-of-the-art child care facility, the First Environments Early Learning Center, shared by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS). The ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday, April 24, on EPA's campus, located at 109 T.W. Alexander Drive in Research Triangle Park, N.C. (RTP).
The child care center features many environmental innovations that reflect the missions of the two federal science organizations to protect public health and the environment. The 25,000 square foot, $3.25 million center is designed to meet a minimum of “Silver” level certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and to serve as a model for healthy indoor air, day lighting and energy efficiency. The center can serve up to 188 children. The ceremony will be attended by top officials from EPA and the National Institutes of Health, Congressmen David Price and Brad Miller, and other dignitaries as well as EPA and NIEHS staff, parents and children from the center.
EPA and NIEHS were recognized this year by the national magazine, The Scientist, for being among the top five places in the country for conducting postdoctoral research. “Having quality onsite child care is one of the main reasons EPA is recognized as one of the best workplaces in the Triangle,” said Bill Laxton, Director of EPA's Office of Administration and Resources Management in RTP. Some of EPA's recent family-friendly awards include the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility, the Best Workplaces for Commuters by the Triangle J Council of Governments, and the 2006 N.C. Family-Friendly 40 by Carolina Parent Magazine.
“We've had one of the best child care programs in North Carolina for 20 years,” said Laxton. “I'm thrilled that this new center will provide an excellent environment that this program deserves, and that the children deserve. The First Environments facility is designed to reflect, as well as to teach, the EPA and NIEHS missions of environmental stewardship.”
The center has twenty classrooms, a large multipurpose room, a commercial-grade kitchen, spacious corridors, and outdoor learning environment. Throughout its history, the center has received the highest rating by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services and is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.